I strongly encourage transition training. I went from 10 yrs of flying a slow tailwheel plane to the 8. The 8 made me feel like I didn't have any tailwheel time at all. I did get it but it was tough at first. I had an instructor fly with me until I felt safe. my 2 cents.

Ok, take a big breath. You are in control of take off speed. It is called the throttle. In most small airplanes you are taught to smoothly, advance throttle and use rudder to balance torque, same with an RV.
No one has mentioned that you can take off as slow as a champ if you slowly push the throttle in. Think about it, 90HP vs 180 or so. SLOWLY advance the throttle, take 1500 feet if you need to, keep the plane straight with your feet, lift the tail when it is ready and fly off, slowly advancing the throttle for the whole time it takes to get into the air.
Slow the process down and everything seems ridiculously like a champ.

Ok, take a big breath. You are in control of take off speed. It is called the throttle. In most small airplanes you are taught to smoothly, advance throttle and use rudder to balance torque, same with an RV.
No one has mentioned that you can take off as slow as a champ if you slowly push the throttle in. Think about it, 90HP vs 180 or so. SLOWLY advance the throttle, take 1500 feet if you need to, keep the plane straight with your feet, lift the tail when it is ready and fly off, slowly advancing the throttle for the whole time it takes to get into the air.
Slow the process down and everything seems ridiculously like a champ.

I guess that's one way of doing it but totally unnecessary!

Amazing the 'stigma' a conventional U/C plane such as an 8 seems to have, it's somewhat crazy, it's just another plane! I had only ever flown low powered conventional U/C planes then when I bought my 8 I felt right at home in it as it has a thing called a rudder, the only part of a high perf plane that requires more judicial use to something akin to an old Citabria etc.

Amazing the 'stigma' a conventional U/C plane such as an 8 seems to have, it's somewhat crazy, it's just another plane! I had only ever flown low powered conventional U/C planes then when I bought my 8 I felt right at home in it as it has a thing called a rudder, the only part of a high perf plane that requires more judicial use to something akin to an old Citabria etc.

I got 5 hours of transition training in Okeechobee, FL to re-acquaint myself with a tailwheel.
Since then, I've learned to take off with 1/2 flaps, and solo with 2 25# bags of lead shot on either side of the rear seat cushion.
Usually wheel land when solo, and 3-point with a passenger.

I fly currently a Champ with 100hp and I am building a RV-8 in Switzerland. As I had to go on a business trip to the US, I took the opportunity to visit Bruce Bohannon in Texas to get some RV-8 Stick time.. I will write about this trip maybe in another section but to summarize:
Yes the Video explains quite well the difference I even forgot sometimes to apply full throttle at takeoff as the acceleration was so intense
The RV-Grin is still on my face and the training was very very valuable!

LOL!

I almost put it in the bushes a couple of times during my first few takeoffs with Bruce.

Bruce was adamant about only doing 3-point landings. With Bruce sitting in the back seat, his RV8 can be 3-pointed. However, as others have reported, my RV-8 will not 3-point land when solo without additional weight in the back. I found out later the hard way when I ran out of elevator during my first few solo 3-point landing attempts. Had to abort half of them. I now almost exclusively do wheelies. When you're ready to solo it for the first time, be prepared to wheel land your RV-8...it may be the only safe way to get it back on the ground. Don't assume it will 3-point as easily as Bruce's RV8 does with him in the back seat...it probably won't.

Yeah, the RV-8 is a very different airplane during T/O and landing than a Champ or Citabria. If you use anywhere near as much rudder pedal action in an RV-8 as you'd use in a Citabria, you'll find yourself in the grass.

So far, no mention of Weight and Balance.
Calculate your weight and Balance so you know what you are starting with.
RV-8s come in a variety of configurations (go figure?) I built a very light O-360 fixed pitch version with no interior or paint. It 3 points fine when solo. Forward CG aircraft with high empty weight are going to be different, which probably accounts for some of the various opinions here. Your First Flight with CG about the middle, or slightly forward will help.
I advocate a "Tailwheel Low" landing. Could be 'wheels', could be 3 point. It's all about the pitch attitude, which is determined by airspeed when flying level. Get parallel to the ground at 1' altitude. With throttle closed, the airspeed will decrease and as you hold off, the pitch attitude will increase. Hold the 3 point attitude, you touch down. at the perfect attitude. If the runway is bumpy and you are tossed back into the air, maintain the attitude. If tossed too high, add throttle and decide to settle back in or go around. If you wheels land, the speed will be higher and you will have to "stick it on" (hold tail up) if you try to 'plant the tail-wheel' too soon you will fly again: a Balloon and hobby horsing or dolphins, bent prop etc., or 'Add Power, Go Around'.
When landing the first few times, 'you get what you get' then you start to make it into what you want with practice. Mind the RV-8 brakes, they apply easily, and chirping tires at touchdown are common (but not wanted)
At a safe altitude, practice slow flight and control of airspeed and attitude. do some stalls, including stalls in a turn. Get the feel of the onset of stall so you can avoid trouble close to the ground.
Eyeball airspeed and skid ball in the pattern.
I agree with slow throttle application on take off, even part throttle, an RV-8 easily flies with low horsepower. Why make the first take off "Behind the Aircraft"?
I got transition training, even though I was already flying a Thorp T-18. Instruction is fun, and always worthwhile.

__________________
Scott Emeryhttp://gallery.eaa326.org/v/members/semery/
EAA 668340, chapter 326 & IAC chapter 67
RV-8 N89SE first flight 12/26/2013
Yak55M, and the wife has an RV-4
There is nothing-absolute nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing around with Aeroplanes
(with apologies to Ratty)

I almost put it in the bushes a couple of times during my first few takeoffs with Bruce.

Bruce was adamant about only doing 3-point landings. With Bruce sitting in the back seat, his RV8 can be 3-pointed. However, as others have reported, my RV-8 will not 3-point land when solo without additional weight in the back. I found out later the hard way when I ran out of elevator during my first few solo 3-point landing attempts. Had to abort half of them. I now almost exclusively do wheelies. When you're ready to solo it for the first time, be prepared to wheel land your RV-8...it may be the only safe way to get it back on the ground. Don't assume it will 3-point as easily as Bruce's RV8 does with him in the back seat...it probably won't.

Yeah, the RV-8 is a very different airplane during T/O and landing than a Champ or Citabria. If you use anywhere near as much rudder pedal action in an RV-8 as you'd use in a Citabria, you'll find yourself in the grass.

Yeah, the RV-8 is a very different airplane during T/O and landing than a Champ or Citabria. If you use anywhere near as much rudder pedal action in an RV-8 as you'd use in a Citabria, you'll find yourself in the grass.

But if you're doing so much pedal pumping in a Citabria that would get you in trouble in an RV-8, you're doing it wrong.

LOL!
...Bruce was adamant about only doing 3-point landings. With Bruce sitting in the back seat, his RV8 can be 3-pointed. However, as others have reported, my RV-8 will not 3-point land when solo without additional weight in the back. I found out later the hard way when I ran out of elevator during my first few solo 3-point landing attempts. Had to abort half of them. I now almost exclusively do wheelies. When you're ready to solo it for the first time, be prepared to wheel land your RV-8...it may be the only safe way to get it back on the ground. Don't assume it will 3-point as easily as Bruce's RV8 does with him in the back seat...it probably won't.

I experienced the same thing on my initial test flight. Maybe a little slow and ran out of elevator. Not pleasant dropping it in like that on the first landing. Ballast in the back might have helped that situation. Individual CG conditions vary, of course.

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